The Beauty is The Beast
by darrenlove16
Summary: A modernized story of a "Princess" who has made a terrible mistake. Can anyone understand the pain? Can anyone tame the Beast that has replaced her heart? What happens when a beautiful "Prince" is willing to show her the light that still lives inside her.
1. Chapter 1

This isn't your normal story. I don't really know what constitutes as normal these days but I can assume from what I've seen that I don't exactly fit into that category anymore. I used to!

I remember what it was like to be the person that everyone wanted to be around. I remember being important and sought after. I was quite the socialite. I happen to be the only daughter of a very wealthy man. He sells diamonds for a living. After being a very absentee father, he remembered he had a little girl at home and decided to raise me. Admittedly, I grew a little wild. I had the life of a princess. I lived for parties, gorgeous gowns, and all the handsome men you could ever ask for. They came willingly and fell hard. I remember feeling so horrible when we didn't get along or when I didn't feel the same spark that they did.

Then I found one that made me feel... Different. He was perfect. An aspiring lawyer who wanted to take the world by storm and carry me with him. I wanted nothing more than to be his for the rest of my life. Maybe he had some self image problems. Sometimes I think he liked his own face more than mine. He had the temper of an active volcano. But he was my missing puzzle piece. With him, my life made so much sense.

There's a feeling that every girl gets when she's found the man of her dreams. It's in the quiet moments where you have zero make-up on, the TV is white noise, and you're in his arms and you just know. It sounds cliché but it's true. You just know.

I knew alright. And I royally screwed it up.

I can't remember the excuses I made to him. I can't count the number of times I begged his forgiveness. But I vividly remember the sound of his cries when he learned that the woman he wanted to marry betrayed his trust in the most heart wrenching way possible. He'd offered that woman the most beautiful life. It was simple yet priceless. That woman burned the bridge to an irreparable extent. She wasn't faithful to the man who's heart she had full control over.

I made a horrible mistake and the consequences will never stop.

New York is undoubtedly the perfect city to hide in. There are roughly one million people running around New York City on any given day. Tourists admiring the sites, business people flagging down cabs, the cab drivers making their daily commute, the subway goers, the actors, the actresses, and me. The wing of the penthouse that my father gave me is my own personal cave.

You must be thinking because my father is so successful I must have hundreds of rich girlfriends who would be pulling me out of my room and buying me ice cream in an instant. You'd be right. I have fantastic friends. But do you have any idea how easy it is to send a smiley face over a text message? It takes one smiling selfie with your hair down in your pj's to convince, even your best friends, that you just need a few days and you'll be back out there. Three weeks later when they call you, you make the excuse of saying that you were sick. Technically you weren't lying. Your constant nightmares that appeared even when you were wide awake made you sick to your stomach. You replayed those moments in your mind's eye until your head throbbed. You cried burning tears for so long that your temperature spiked and you couldn't see straight enough to find medicine for the fever that plagued your body. Just like that it's been two months before you've seen the people that made you happy. Just like that three months go by and you haven't so much as cracked a smile.

Then the labels started. It's not easy. I take 100% responsibility for what I did. My friends say that there are two sides to everything and that half of the blame goes to the other party. I don't care. I'm the woman. I get labeled as "the cheater", "the slut", "the whore", my personal favorite "the piece of trash". After people move on to the next slice of gossip, the phrases are still running through your head. You see the articles about inner beauty and how people can reinvent themselves. I'm not sure I believe in that anymore. How could anyone see past that? I can't ever be trusted again. What poor man would willingly come into my dark, twisted world and see what really goes on in my head? Why? Do sane men even do that? Would a man ever want to see the gnarled, angry monster that is my heart? All he would experience is the cold room of my heart littered with torn-up pictures of myself and an ongoing replay of the terrible thing I did.

This is my journey. I don't know how long it's going to go on for or if it'll ever change. Here it goes,

My name is Ada. My friends call me their much loved Princess. I don't see how they can love me. Who would love me? Who could ever learn to love a Beast?

**As you can see, the roles are reversed. This story is written based on personal experience and my favorite Disney movie ever! This isn't meant to upset anyone! It's just how my brain works. Please Please Please "Like" and "Review"! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

There are three things everyone says after a break-up. All three happen to be lies. "I'm completely over him!" "I'll start dating again soon." "I'm fine!"

They are usually said within the same five minutes and the words literally burn as they escape your throat. Break ups hurt until you find a love that somehow exceeds the love you felt for the last guy. It's a vicious cycle of heartbreak. You meet... Fall in love... Trust... Become completely dependent on each other... Break up... Some form of depression sets in... You carry your heartbroken baggage onto another sad victim... And the cycle repeats.

Life is screwed up people meeting more screwed up people and screwing them over even more. And that's where my story picks up today!

The alarm in my penthouse blared, waking me up from a pretty awful dream. Glancing at the time I knew it couldn't be my father. He was out of the house at the crack of dawn. I emerged from the West side of the house to find a man fiddling with the alarm system on the wall. He finally silenced the grating noise and turned to face me. Luckily I had forgotten to take off my bra the night before. (Dodged that awkward bullet)

"What the hell are you doing in my house at this ungodly hour!?" I asked the suited, brunette man that now grinned at me.

"It's 8:30am... Most people consider this the middle of the morning! It's a beautiful one at that." He walked to the windows and flung open the curtains, allowing very bright light into the room.

"Appreciate that." I muttered, covering my eyes. "You still haven't answered my question. Who are you and how did you get in here?"

He replied, holding up a key. "I was sent here by your father. My name is Beauregard. I'm your father's new personal assistant."

"As much as I enjoy meeting my dad's new errand boy, that doesn't explain why you interrupted my perfectly good sleep." I wasn't a happy camper.

"You have my apologies. Your father wanted me to pick you up. The pair of you have a deal to close with the Maison family."

"Ah yes I do remember that conversation. I also remember telling him that I'm not going. He should know that sending his new puppy to fetch me is never going to work."

"He did say to expect a fight. If I may Miss, it's been four months since you've made any appearance in public. You've attributed this to constant illness. I can say with complete assurance that you look perfectly healthy. If not, a little sunshine can't hurt. This is a very important business meeting and your father needs your support. The car will be leaving in a half hour. I expect you to be ready by then. I'll wait here."

Wordlessly, I walked back into my wing to let the steam fly out of my ears. Did this little prick really think he could just walk into my house and boss me around like that!? Was my father stupid enough to think I'd listen!? It's like he doesn't know me at all. A half hour I appeared before him unchanged.

"Listen Beau."

"Only my friends call me that." This guy didn't miss a beat. "I don't foresee that happening to us."

"Fine with me. I'm sure you've already deduced that I'm not going with you. Let my father know that he's gonna have to do a lot better than this if he wants me to be his good little girl arm candy."

"I don't think anyone would consider you a good little girl. I won't waste a clean police record on trying to get you out of the house. I wouldn't want to cause a scene. You should expect a very serious conversation with your father about your new place of residence if you don't cooperate." Stepping toward the door he added, "You really should be less selfish. Your father has given you everything and this is how you repay him?"

"You know nothing about me or my father! Mind your own damn business."

"Gladly." As if the situation wasn't bad enough, the door opened and another man walked through the door. Beauregard nearly knocked him over trying to leave the house. "Seems you're well enough for a gentleman caller. Enjoy your day Princess."

Beauregard returned to the office of my father and entered alone. "Your daughter was not cooperative sir."

"I believe I warned you of that. You said you could handle it."

"I know I did, sir. She was nothing like what I expected. She was very stubborn."

"Beauregard, I don't think I have to tell you how important this is. My father and your father have been in business together for a very long time. I've known him for over thirty years now. You were sent off to boarding school for your entire life for one purpose. Do you know that purpose?"

"Yes sir. Yourself and my father made a deal. He loaned you money and found investors for your company. In return, when you are ready to retire, I take control of your company."

"Exactly. You're back from a very prestigious university and claim that you're ready to start working in the company you will someday run. If you can't handle a 20 year old girl how will you control a multi-billion dollar company?"

"I understand sir. I assure you, I will not disappoint you."

(Back at my place)

"Who was that gorgeous piece of man?!"

"Well don't you have the worst timing ever! What are you even doing here Louis?" My best friend wasn't always the sharpest tool in the shed. Louis has been my bestie since we were in high school. He was bullied a lot but he had the best fashion sense in New York. I needed a little guidance and he needed a friend. We bonded over hot guys, luckily we have the opposite taste in men.

"Sorry darling. I heard you were sick again. I brought tea. Now I know you're gonna bitch about feeling fine but I don't buy it so shut up." Did I mention he's stubborn? "Ever since you and-"

"Don't say his name!"

"...He.. Broke up, you've been distant and I will not stand for it anymore! Sit your perky ass down and tell me what's going on."

We plopped down on the couch with mugs of tea. I knew he would see through my lies. Which is why I just had to lie better this time. "The break up hit me pretty hard. We were really close and I did a terrible thing. I betrayed his trust and that's not something I ever wanted to do. It was all my fault."

"I'm stopping you right there. There are two people to blame in this situation. Yes, you are to blame but not fully. You're killing yourself taking all of this guilt on you."

"I know, I know." Do I believe it? Hell no. "But it's better now. I've had time to think through everything and I'm fine! It hurts sometimes." Correction, all the time. "I really do think I'm completely over him!"

"That's amazing! We're gonna go out and get you a completely new wardrobe and a hair cut and wash that old guy out of your life for good! We'll throw a party and I'll invite all the hot guys you could ask for." He was giddy at the thought of a party.

"I think I'm ready to start dating again!"

This is child's play. Just like that, all three lies, under two minutes. If my father's new assistant was gonna have a fighting chance, he was going to have to be more than just a pretty face. He'd need to grow a few things first.

**Hello everyone! I'll just take a sec to mention a few things. In this fic the roles have been reversed. The Beast is our "Princess" Ada. People have said that the Beast's real name is Adam. (I'm sure you can see the correlation :) ) Belle is played by Beauregard. Beauregard is French and means "beautiful/handsome". Again, the parallel is clear! Louis is based on Lumiere the candlestick and right hand man to the Beast. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please follow and review. Reviews= Love! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

As it can be assumed, the conversation with my father didn't exactly go my way. Yes, I can pretty much get whatever I want but, it is his money that I'm depending on right now and he is well aware of that fact.

"You have taken advantage of every opportunity that has been presented to you! You're constantly manipulating your friends and whatever family you have left. What is it in your mind that makes you think it's okay to act like this!?"

"Excuse me for wanting to life out my life and not just waste it! I'm well aware of what I've been given and I won't apologize for using it! If you wanted me to be your sweet little girl then maybe you should have paid attention fifteen years ago!"

"You never get tired of that excuse do you? I've done more than enough to repay for the early years I was gone."

"You can't buy back time Dad! It doesn't matter how many diamonds you sell to diplomats it won't make up the years you ignored my existence!"

"Then help me! Come the to events! Be my representative, learn from me and my associates. Spend quality time with me for the first time in both of our lives!"

"Sending your lap dog to come and fetch me isn't anyone's idea of quality time!"

"Beauregard is a very important part of both of our lives whether we like it or not. You need to start accepting him and his ideas."

"Why!? Why do we need some lightweight around bossing me around?"

"Ada, Beauregard has spent his entire life training to take over the company when I retire."

That came as a bit of a shock to me. "Aren't company's supposed to go to your child!? Why in the hell is he getting it?"

"His father and I got into business together when you were just a few months old. He was my main source of funding. He went into debt and scraped the bottom of the barrel to keep the company afloat. He would give me all the money I needed on one condition. Beauregard takes my place when I'm done. I never wanted you to feel the pressure of taking over a company you didn't want. I stand by my decision."

"So... He'll own everything?"

My dad laughed, "Of course not! I'll still own the company! Beauregard will simply run it. He'll get a very nice paycheck but everything stays in our name. You're set for life Ada."

Admittedly I was taken back, "Dad I'm sorry I had no idea why that guy was around. I thought you were trying to make some stranger control me. I don't like the idea of going to all of these things and plastering on a smile."

"I know you don't Ada. I've had to make sacrifices to be where I am today. Maybe you would consider doing the same for your old man? If not for me, do it for a young man who is just starting out and needs a good deal of support."

"I'll try to do better."

Surprisingly, I didn't lie to him. I didn't promise to be a perfect Princess but I said I would try and I meant it. Maybe this dorky guy would prove to not be absolutely horrible. I didn't exactly love the ridiculous suit or the slicked back brown hair. Too many similarities to certain humans in my past. Unfortunately, if you took away the annoying pompous clothing, Beauregard was a good looking man. He has really big brown eyes and a gorgeous chiseled jaw. He's an odd person, but damn he's gorgeous.

Beauregard's POV

I was always taught to see the best in a person. There are countless experiences and decisions that make up a single human being. You can never judge a person until you fully understand everything that they've gone through. I know that these principles are true but... Ada is kind of just a bitch.

I can't believe I just said that about my boss' daughter but it's true! I understand that she has major abandonment issues and plays her cards close to the chest but still... People have come out of similar situations better, happier, and more successful. Why hasn't she?

Geez, snap out of it Beau! It's not your job to be her psychiatrist. Just do what you're told and it'll all work out.

It was nine o'clock on a gorgeous Monday morning. It was about to be ruined because I had to stop by Ada's house and get the paperwork that her father had left on his desk. We also had to discuss the fundraiser I was taking Ada to the next day.

But I had Corrie with me! Hopefully that would make it better. "So who is this girl that we're meeting?" Corrie asked as we sat through New York City morning traffic.

"Ada is my mentor's daughter. I have to prove myself to him in one way or another. It's similar to starting at the very bottom of the ladder and working my way up to the top."

"Is she a pleasant person?"

"She's... No. She is not."

"Is it possible that someone has finally brought out the negative, disagreeable side of Beau?! I didn't think that was possible!"

I couldn't help but chuckle, "There are few people in my life who have brought out that area of my personality. Ada isn't a horrible person she's simply difficult. I'm sure you'll see that once you meet her."

I took a deep breath and politely rang the doorbell.

"Just a minute!" We heard a voice from inside.

"Wow, she's awake. I wasn't expecting that."

The door swung open and there she was! Her light brown hair was waving all over her head. Ada almost looked normal in skinny jeans and an old, thin college t-shirt. "Hey! What are you doing here? My dad said you were coming over tomorrow? I didn't expect guests either."

I assume that's her version of being nice.

"It's good to see you too Ada. Your father sent me to pick up some paperwork he left on his desk. This is my very good friend, Corrie Werth. She's spending the day with me."

"I've heard a lot about you Ada. It's a pleasure to meet you." Corrie is the epitome of grace and poise and following the rule book. She's a little bit of a tight-ass but she keeps me honest. It was odd being in between two very different women. Corrie, caramel skin and perfect hair, she was every man's opinion of gorgeous. She rocked any pantsuit presented to her. But then there was Ada in her old shirt and Converse looking absolutely stunning. WAIT WHAT!? No. Not important. I exited the room to find the files I was hunting for.

"So, your father has a very successful company! What was it like growing up surrounded by business people? Did you learn a great deal about it?" Corrie is a strong conversationalist.

Ada didn't seem impressed, "Not really. It's hard to learn from Daddy when he's busy running a company. I've been to his office maybe ten times in my life. Business is boring. I prefer... everything but office work. What do you do for a living?"

"I work in an office."

"Fun. How do you know Beauregard?"

"He and I have a very long history. We grew up together. He is one of my very closest friends."

As I came back into the room I could've sworn Ada's nose wrinkled up. Either she didn't like my cologne or she was jealous. Interesting...

"Ada I'll be back tomorrow at 10 o'clock. I trust you will be able to find something suitable to wear for the event."

"Don't worry Beau, I'll leave my stripper heels in the closet."

With that... I got the hell out of Dodge.

(BACK TO ADA POV)

There's pretty much only one word that describes Beau's girlfriend: "Yawn". Seriously, could she be more horrible? Sure her legs looked great in designer heels and a secretary skirt but that's just a smoke screen for a terribly boring human being.

Beau showed up the next morning at ten sharp and approved my outfit. I'm not sure why he expected me to dress like a sorority girl but I like to think I impressed him. I chose a knee length, semi-form fitting navy blue dress. It was perfect for a spring day in New York City. I paired it with a cute red sweater to match Beau's blue suit and red tie. It was a lucky guess.

The silence in the car was just so awkward so I spoke up! "So... Corrie seems nice."

"She is."

Really? "You said you two are close?"

"We are."

Oh my god. "Have you known her long?"

"Quite long yes."

You're joking. "High school sweethearts?"

Beauregard started laughing, "No nothing like that! Corrie and I grew up together. She is the daughter of the man who runs the boarding school I used to attend. She was in New York visiting yesterday."

"Oh! That explains a lot." He gave me a questionable look. "It's nothing bad! She just seems very... Proper." Not to mention her ridiculously pretentious British accent.

"That's what happens when your father is a headmaster at a boarding school." Without missing a beat he added, "What about your significant other?"

"You mean the one that doesn't exist?"

"Has something happened since I saw him last week?"

"You're talking about Louis! That's right I forgot the two of you ran into each other. Louis and I aren't together."

"Interesting... The two of you seem very close."

I laughed, "Yeah it's easy to be close to a dude who is also into dudes. You find lots of fun things to talk about."

"Oh I see." It might have been the lighting but I think I saw him smile a little after that.

We arrived at the fundraiser and I think I did a pretty good job! I took photos with important people, sipped champagne very politely, and smiled at everyone. My cheeks were dying by the end of the afternoon. I recognized a few people at the event but none of whom I could have genuine conversation with. A couple times I looked over and saw Beauregard work his magic. The guy was smooth. He shook hands with complete strangers and wrapped them up in conversation. He could relate to them on some personal level from art to music to sports! I was thoroughly impressed with his performance. We made it back to the car and I immediately kicked off the heels.

"Well, did I do a good job?" I didn't actually care about his opinion I just wanted to make conversation.

"Your father will be happy to know that you were amazing at this event! I was very pleased with everything."

"Wow, look at you finally being nice! It's about freaking time!"

"You're giving me a reason to be! Everything was fantastic today. Except..." His face showed concern. "Ada we were at the event for five hours and you didn't eat a thing. You sipped on the same champagne glass all day and never finished it. Is everything okay?"

His eyes stared at the side of my head and I couldn't meet his gaze. This wasn't something anyone was supposed to notice. "It's not a big deal. I just wasn't hungry."

"Is there something else going on? Does it have to do with why you never leave your home? You have to eat Ada. If you don't-" He shifted towards me and I could feel the intimacy lacing his words and his movements. It was too much way to freakin' fast.

"Drop it!" I snapped. "You don't know the situation and it's none of your business. You might have to escort me to these ridiculous events but it doesn't mean we're friends. Leave me alone."

In hind sight I could have handled that better. I yelled at him and there was no need to do that. I could blame it on the day but it wasn't that. I'm depressed and I don't eat. Tada there's the truth. It's my burden to bear and I'm sure it'll go away soon. In the mean time I really don't want some rich kid coming in and thinking I need his pity when I don't. He doesn't know what it's like to be me and he never will.


End file.
